Spurlock's Capo D'Astro Bar File

[Alan Crane, RPT]

Ed Richards and Dianne Salem both inquired recently about the Capo bar file
that Bill Spurlock used to sell (but, evidently, doesn't anymore?).

It would, of course, be best to ask Bill where *he* got them but it has been
my understanding that his source was Stewart-MacDonald's Guitar Shop Supply.
They sell the tool as a fret file with three sizes of interchangable burrs
(narrow, medium, wide).  The file w/ all three burrs lists @ $31.40 in my
most recent catalog and replacement burrs are $8.95 each (this is all on p.
6 of the Winter '96 catalog with prices in effect until April 1, 1997...oops!)

Anyway, the catalog is free (1-800-848-2273) and has lots of neat tools &
"stuff" in it (also a regular column of "Trade Secrets" on various facets of
luthiery...there are some pretty smart folks in *that* profession too!!).

Hope this helps but, as I said, it would be best to ask Bill himself.  Its
entirely possible, given his penchant for modifying tools to fit the task
and yield more precise work, that he had his supplier make up a burr of a
different radius, more suitable to piano Capo bars.

Regards,

Alan Crane, RPT
School of Music
Wichita State University
crane@twsuvm.uc.twsu.edu